I helped Ace and Diane shovel snow from the roof of the cattle shed to keep the heavy snow from adding too much weight. I looked towards the gate as I heard the seven bells signal the return of a trader. Someone was returning earlier than expected. They had only left this morning, which likely meant a good haul. Roland had been planning to try a raid on a large store after seeing Dave's success, so it was likely him.
The trucks entered and I was proven correct. We headed over to the truck shelter where others were already gathering. He parked in the shelters as Diane, Ace, and I waited further back for the initial wave of helpers to disperse with their loads. Roland climbed down the ladder and headed over to us.
He looked serious and somewhat troubled, "Diane, I have a question about the Heartfire virus. Have you ever had any problems when you got extremely angry?"
I frowned, had something happened? Why was he specifically inquiring about the Heartfire virus and anger in the same sentence? Strong emotion tended to drive it, but I had never been really angry, so I had no idea.
Diane looked confused, "I am not sure that I ever really got overly angry. I got protective a few times when protecting others from zombies and when taking down a murderer. Why?"
Roland looked closely at her, "Did you ever lose control or blackout?"
Diane shook her head, obviously confused as to what he was getting at, "No, nothing like that. I never got that angry before. Why do you ask?"
Roland took a deep breath and sighed, "We had a small mishap during our raid and Vince lost control."
Ace was a motionless statue beside me. I glanced around, but didn't see Vince or his wife Emma. Where were they? Ace had been holding some classes on temper and self-control since we had feared someone losing control in a rage. With Heartfire abilities, a temper tantrum could have serious consequences.
Diane took a step closer to Roland and asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened?"
Roland ran a hand through his hair, "We were just finishing up a raid on a store and a Swift appeared. Emma was outside the fence and tried to jump behind a spare piece of chain link fence that was leaning against the trailer. The Swift pushed the chain link against the trailer and pinned her. She screamed and Vince came out of the store at a run. He started to run towards her, but when she screamed again he... snapped. Vince actually let out a snarling sound just like the zombie and went so fast no one else had a hope of keeping up.
"He plowed right through the chain link fence between him and the Swift without pausing. He hit the Swift hard enough to send it flying into a nearby dumpster. It barely hit the ground when he came again and pulverized it with just his hands. He never even touched his weapons. When he turned around his eyes were solid orange, which is the same color as his blood. They were glowing very strongly.
"He quickly returned to Emma's side, but just kind of stood there and growled at anyone else who approached. He didn't speak and he didn't seem to be understanding us either. It was as if he was guarding Emma. Once she got over her fright, Emma was able to approach and touch him, and he would just stand there and let her, but if anyone else so much as looked in his direction too long he would growl."
Roland shook his head at the memory, "After several minutes he suddenly shook his head real hard and his eyes regained their blue color. He was disoriented, but back to himself. He says that when he heard Emma scream his vision blacked out and the next thing he knew he was standing beside her covered in zombie blood. He had absolutely no recollection of what happened between those points. I have Emma driving and Vince sitting beside her just to keep them away from the crush of people in case he lost it again. We have no idea what to make of it."
I couldn't think of a way to respond to that. Growling sounded a lot like a zombie, but his eyes hadn't been red and he had actually protected Emma. Diane also looked shocked. Ace and Roland were watching her since she had this virus the longest.
Diane sighed, "We know that certain aspects of the Zombie virus are present in the Heartfire virus. We also know that Heartfire reacts to strong emotion. I know in my earlier joint fighting training with Laura that my vision practically went red when the others approached her, but I knew that my opponents would never harm her and Laura was actually amused."
She shrugged, "Anyways, I recall that my mind seemed to take a back seat while I relied on my trained reactions although I remember everything clearly and I was in control. However, I have never been in a position where someone I knew well was in immediate danger and I got angry. I tend to get protective, but not angry. I suspect that Emma's immediate danger and fear triggered a response in Vince and the Heartfire used his extreme anger and protectiveness to cause that since his eyes turned the color of his Heartfire virus."
I thought hard, but even when that Swift had attacked me in the tree, Diane's eyes had been blue. They had been glowing more strongly than I had ever seen them, and her livid expression was something I had never seen since, but she had not growled.
Roland sighed, "That is about as much as we could come up with. I am leaving both of them behind for a month to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Vince is already planning to ask for extra self-control classes since he is kind of freaked out that he lost an entire chunk of time."
Diane nodded slowly, "We can do that, but unless he does it again, I think we can more or less consider it a rare incident due to the circumstances."
Roland nodded slowly, "I will send them over to find you and you can take them into a less crowded area."
Roland went off to the one truck and shortly afterwards Vince and Emma came out and headed in our direction. The five of us all headed to one of the small sheltered training areas. No one would likely disturb us in this large tent. We grabbed some small folding chairs and sat down. I tried to sit still and be quiet as I hoped that no one noticed me. They could easily send me outside and I wanted to hear this.
Vince looked at Diane with worry, "What happened when I lost it? I don't recall ever hearing about that situation."
Diane considered her words carefully, "I think part of it was your strong emotions and part of it was the Heartfire. I have seen normal people before the collapse simply go crazy with rage or grief. Before the collapse, I clearly recall one father freaking out when his kid was thrown from a horse and injured. He fought off all of the first aid people until two big guys pinned him. Once he calmed down, he couldn't remember much either."
Diane shrugged lightly, "Heartfire reacts strongly to powerful emotions. It could have triggered something when you went to protect Emma, but the Heartfire made you far stronger and faster. I have not been in quite that situation before, so I can't say from first-hand experience, but I know the first time the chill entered my blood it was due to an intense desire to help. I can't even describe the emotions or how strong they were that time."
Vince still looked worried and sounded slightly freaked out, "But what if I hurt someone? I ran through a chain link fence and then apparently beat on a Swift with my bare hands until it couldn't even move. The worst part is that I don't recall any of it."
Diane had an answer ready for him, "It is as if protecting Emma was temporarily all you thought about. Nothing else mattered. You were determined to save and protect Emma. You did. Did you harm her in any way?"
Vince looked startled, "No... They said that she was the only one who could get near me. I growled at the others."
Diane regarded him intently, "Did you growl at them because they got closer to you or did you growl at them because they were getting closer to Emma? I think it is the latter case. You were so determined to protect her that you saw anything as a potential threat. The fact that you shredded the Swift, but simply growled at the others tells me that you didn't actually completely lose control. Some part of your mind still recalled what was truly a threat and what was only a potential threat."
That had not occurred to me. Vince and Emma looked stunned at Diane's reasoning. Ace also looked surprised. I made a mental note that if someone's eyes were glowing a different color to not go near them.
Emma looked at Vince, "I never thought of that. You didn't give that Swift a chance, but you never actually went after the others."
Vince nodded slowly, "But what if it happens again?"
Diane responded, "If it happens when someone you care about is in immediate and serious danger, then I won't be too surprised. If it happens outside of those circumstances come find me as soon as possible."
Diane looked at Ace and he took that as the cue to start the self-control lesson.
Diane was talking to a lady on the third deck about when it might be safe to plant certain seeds. The meadow was warmer since it faced south, so we could plant the more delicate things here.
It was no surprise to hear the seven bells again. With three trading groups coming and going, that particular bell signal was a familiar call. I looked out the huge expanse of triple pane windows of the Cliffside greenhouse and spotted the trucks that looked so small at this distance. Diane grinned down at me, "Feel like helping unload?"
I grinned back and nodded. Half the time, I just ended up following her since I still couldn't lift many of the heavy boxes and bags. Heartfire made a big difference, but I was still small and my age obviously played a role in how much my strength and speed increased. Diane doubted I would get to my full potential until I finished growing, and I expected that she was correct. I was still a child, Heartfire or no.
The lady watched us with amusement, "Others may be able to disappear occasionally and not be missed, but you wouldn't get away with it. In case you weren't aware of it, you three are such a permanent helping fixture in this place that if you didn't show up, someone would go looking for you just to make sure you were okay."
Diane sighed in disappointment, "There goes my plan for sneaking off for a two week holiday to France."
I giggled. There was no way we would ever get to France now. It was across the ocean. I wondered how many zombies were bobbing around in the ocean? They couldn't drown and I doubted that the sharks would eat them.
The lady chuckled while Ace looked amused. We headed down to help unload. Vince gave us a thumbs up as we grabbed some boxes. It had been his first run with the traders after a long month of hanging around Sanctuary.
He had not had any problems or black outs. We had even set up a surprise test with Emma and a taxidermy bear on a rope to make him think that a bear was sneaking up on her. He had raced over so fast his muscles burned, but he had not had any problems with control. That little test had relaxed both him and anyone else who still held reservations. Unless Emma was in serious danger and terrified it was likely not going to resurface.
It looked like life was back to normal once more.